Author Archives: sossrescue

Thumbelina’s Visit to Dr. Jamie Velasco

I dream of walking with the other dogs.

I dream of walking with the other dogs.

First of all I have to share how awesome a traveler our Miss Thumbelina is.  That girl has traveled from Chula Vista to Poway to Joshua Tree to La Quina to Riverside to Joshua Tree to Apple Valley to Joshua Tree since Sunday.  Never complains, and never has accidents in her crate.

We awoke early today to head over to Sounds of Silent Spirits DVM in Apple Valley this morning.  Bear Valley Animal Hospital, has the most  wonderful team, from the front desk, vet techs, other staff, and of course Dr. Velasco we couldn’t be more pleased to call them our Primary DVM.

Dr. Velasco looked over Thumbelina and her extensive X-Rays.  And we all agreed that Laser treatments were an excellent course of action.  This is why; apparently Thumbelina’s disc ruptured between vertebra  4 and 5.  She would have been instantly paralyzed except for a narrowing of the spine, a fusion of sorts below the rupture that kept those two vertebra’s from slamming down on her spinal cord.  Kind of a miracle is all I am saying.

Dr. Velasco says that because of  where the ruptured occurred surgery might have to be address in the future, years maybe.  But, Class IV Deep Tissue Laser has had amazing results with all the Dachshunds Dr. Velasco has worked on.  He had a Dachshund who hadn’t walked for nearly a year before coming into Dr. Velasco.  That Doxie is fulling mobile now with out a cart. So, I am the optimist and believe with all your well wishes that this young healthy girl Thumbelina can over come her issues. So, don’t be afraid to send your well wishes for her.

Here’s the plan, Thumbelina will be treated with Laser three times daily today through Saturday, returning Monday to begin a every other day treatment still consisting of three treatments per day,  for the next three to four weeks.  In the mean time she has been measured for a Cart donated by Mrs. Abu Badu, Thank you Angela.  Thumbelina will start using this cart immediately, what the cart does besides the obvious and more importantly, facilitates the

repairing and rebuilding of her atrophied rear legs. The proper measurements insure that her weight is kept off her spinal area but that her feet can lightly tread if she wants to use them.

It’s so amazing all the wonderful things out their to help spinal injuries.  Lastly, Dr. Velasco would like some water therapy so I hope to have the spa up and running soon.  Check out our https://www.facebook.com/SoundsofSilentSpirits?ref=hl for our YouTube links to see Thumbelina’s progress.

All Donations for Thumbelina are 100% tax deductable.  Our PayPal link is at the top of page in menu, or mail to Sounds of Silent Spirits (SOSS), PO Box 2198, Lucerne Valley CA 92356-2198.  PLEASE note that your donation is specifically for Thumbelina or Frenchie.

Thank you,

Melissa Bacall, Adoption Coordinator.

Thumbelina will also visit Holistic DVM at 8am tomorrow in Redlands for her first Accupunture treatment.  Like I said this girl can travel.

We hope to see some results by Saturday, But we have been given strick instructions to keep her immobile as much as possible through the weekend.  Any falling or rolling can be very counter productive.

Meet Thumbelina our Newest Rescue

Thumbelina Word press pic 1Yesterday I was notified that there was a disabled French Bulldog in Chula Vista that need a 501 3 C rescue pull.  My source is excellent so with out any photo I began a speedy request to become an authorized Rescue with the Animal Shelter.  Mind you when I say speedy that means about 5 to 6 hours from beginning to end.  And to no fault on either side, it’s what should be expected, a good vetting should have  hoops to jump to make sure we are worthy enough to be partnered with Chula Vista Animal Welfare Shelter.  We were obviously approved.  I want to add that Linda Septon is great at her job.  I love when I meet someone as committed to an animal’s welfare as I am.  I shared the vetting process that Linda had done with me by our President, Regene, and she too was impressed.

All that aside, lets get to the amazing Thumbelina !  Full of tender joy and hope she has already won my heart, the heart of Alex who picked her up in Chula Vista and transported, and the entire staff at the shelter.  Our friend Angela and I agreed that Thumbelina was an apt name for this tiny Frenchie who was pickup obviously lost in the streets of South Bay San Diego unable to move her rear hind quarters.   She has very impressive upper strength though.  So, her name reflex her journey and all the friends who helped her be safe and comfortable until we rescued her.

We have all the medical tests, X-Rays, and findings the doctor at shelter performed.   And we know for certain that she has some sever spinal problems. While waiting yesterday for approval to pull Thumbelina I found a DVM that also does Chiropractic and Acupuncture and made an appointment for Tuesday Morning.  We are hoping for the best as we have had excellent results in the past with spinal issues.

In the mean time our Thumbelina has very minimal area to move as we don’t want to aggravate or cause more injury.  She has a nice commercial rug in her outdoor  X-pen area where she enjoyed there quail and bunnies this late afternoon.  The rug is to make sure her footing is stable.  Only being 4 years young she has lots of French Bulldog energy.  She is quite comfortable in the Pen and her very large indoor crate.  She is sleeping as I compose this post.  Lots of new and exciting things out here at Yippee Ki Aye Doggie Hacienda for her to discover and enjoy.  This will be her foster home for a while until we have full assessment and rehabilitation. Then we will start the process of adopting her to her new forever home.

So here is the best we can hope for, that a series of homeopathic treatment along with western medicine and water therapy help her regain her mobility. Of course, there most likely will be some preventive therapy the rest of her life if this course of action is successful.  Next option would be possible laser treatments to help the damage to the spine. The other option is surgery but we are very wary of surgery and unless given 90 percent success rate we most likely will not attempt.  Lastly, would be to fit her properly with a go cart.  So she could race around and be as mobile as if she had legs with a few exception.

Before I forget her cute dress was courtesy of the folks at the Shelter along with a plush toy.   I have been told emphatically they will miss her very much.  We will love and cherish Thumbelina until she finds her forever home. I will share our findings and successes as we proceed.

We hope you will be encourage to share story with your friends.  And of course any and all donations are 100% tax deductible.  We have pay pal that you can access through our website here.  Or sending to S.O.S.S. P.O. Box 2198  Lucerne Valley CA 92356-2198.   REMEMBER to add in notes on PayPal that donation is for Thumbelina or Frenchie, or write on your check. Melissa Bacall / Adoption Coordinator

3 of Our Horses

 

Our horses are very special to the sanctuary, in this video you can meet 3 of them.

Parker

Parker

 

My Doggie has spring Allergies too!

Image

Well it’s that time of year when both my Pitty, Kismet, and Boxer, Gwendolina, get their Spring red belly.   The spring pollens even reach us out here in the high desert.  I am not sure why Kismet and Gwendy’s allergies manifest on their bellies but they do.  I suggest regular weekly bathing or at least a daily washcloth cleaning with mild dog shampoo and rinsing.  I recently discovered giving them Benadryl twice daily really did the trick.  I stress that you should have the rash checked out by your DVM before treating with anything other than bathing.  But once it’s confirmed that the rash is allergy related and not something else, the use of Benadryl can be very effective.  Always ask your DVM for instructions on usage and dosage.  Have a safe and fun spring with your Doggie. ~melissa

Over the counter flea and Tick topicals

Over the counter flea and Tick topicals.

Over the counter flea and Tick topicals

SAMSUNG

I learned this week how important it is to only use DVM recommended flea treatments.  I had to take my two beloved French Bulldogs in for poisoning from a Sergeant Flea and Tick topical.  Both dogs became very ill, one was vomiting and the other became crazy hyper active.  Luckily I instinctively bathed them scrubbing off what was left of the topical I had applied around their ears and tail area.  Then took them to my personal Veterinarian, and they did a 24 hour IV drip recommended by poison control to detoxify their organs. This is truly the best measure for no further problems that could occur by the poisoning.  When the Vet Tech looked on line she found many warnings by all kinds of cat and dog owners who had horrible experiences as well. I am usually so pro active with products and foods before I use them.  I am fortunate that this experience didn’t end badly.  I learned A VERY SCARY lesson this week, I will never to give my pets anything but Frontline or Advantage products, Bio is also approved by my Veterinarian. Beware and take care.  ~Melissa


 

Rattle Snakes and your Doggie

Rattle Snakes.

Rattle Snakes

Because of our lack of rain this year most likely we will see more snakes nearer to our homes.  Unfortunately this will include Rattlesnakes, in our neck of the desert Mojave’s are most common and the up most care should be taken when you encounter any kind of Rattlesnake.  We are huge fans of getting your dog trained to avoid these venomous reptiles.  Natural Solutions Rattlesnake avoidance training by Erick and Erin Brigg is our only choice as our experience with them is top notch.  They are also humane to the muzzled snakes they use.  All my personal dogs have had this training and not one has been bitten by a Mojave.  I have at least one visit in or near my large dog area a year so I can attest to the success of this training.  Here is a direct Link to Erick’s site http://socalrattlesnakeavoidancetraining.com/   Have a safe and fun Spring with your beloved companions.

MelissaImage

Nearing an end to 2013

christmas tortoises

This year has been filled with many successes.  We had our 2nd annual Valentine’s Day in June and it was even better than last years.  We thought it would be nice to get the children in our community to participate in our event.  So we had a coloring and a poster contest that we took to Lucerne Valley Elementary School a month before the event.  It was a wonderful success.  Our goal with this particular event is to educate our community on how to prevent animal abuse.  We invite neighboring animal rescues, and other animal advocates to come and participate at our event.   Sam was our Master of Ceremonies again and he did a fabulous job.  And of course Valentine and her Tortoise friends were a main attraction.  We had special guests District Attorney’s Office come and speak about reporting animal abuse with there new anonymous program, we-tip;  and Animal Action League came and talked about the importance of spay and neuter for dogs and cats.

Our Tortoise news:  Our natural habitat enclosures are doing really well with all the natural plants thriving, providing shade, vegetation, and protection.  The enclosures are segregated by sex so no procreation can occur.  We now have over two acres in total enclosure space and hope to add another half acre solely for our Sulcata Tortoise enclosure we hope to have built by the end of February.  We currently have a fund raiser for this enclosure at Indigogo  http://igg.me/p/611559/x/5659501  thank you Margy and Sam for your diligence and dedication to getting that up and running.

We are still transforming our barn into an awesome aviary for our fine feathered rescue friends.  This Aviary will be divided for species.  The new heights will allow them to actually fly, this will be awesome for our Macaws and other large birds.

Our reptile room is also slatted for expansion but funding for this project is still needed.  This room will have more area for our lizards, snakes, turtles.

Any contributions are welcomed, and easily done with our paypal icon.  You can specify where you want your donation to go.  May your Holidays and New Year be filled with love and Joy.

Sincerely,

Melissa

social media coordinator

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Valentine’s Day a Community Success

http://lucernevalleyleader.com/node/998

Thank you to all our fellow animal rescuers who came out and supported our common alliances on educating our Children how to recognize and combat animal abuse.
Forever Wild, AWAKHEN, Wee Bar None, Wolf Mountain, and  Ginger Miller.

2013 VDJ Sheree's Daughter with her doggies 2013 VDJ Rescue Volunteer with Ginger 2013 VDJ Tutor 2013 VDJ wee bar none 2013 VDJ Wolf Mountian 2